In the poem, the spider represents the devil, and the web is temptation/sin. The wasp and the fly are two different types of people. The wasp represents a person who fights mightily against temptation and falling into the trap of the devil, yet is still coerced into sin. The fly is an unwary sinner who is less capable of fighting against the devil's force. Both are caught, but in different ways. The wasp is wooed by the devil, while the fly is stupidly caught and killed immediately. At the end of the poem, Taylor asks God to grant us the ability to fight the devil's temptation and escape his "web". Once saved from the trap of the devil, we can be in "glory's cage" (heaven) singing beautifully as a nightingale would to thank God for our salvation from sin and hell.